Nandi residents fear returning to land after landslides
What you need to know:
- Residents says schools are inaccessible and are fearful pupils will stay at home as second term starts Monday.
- Nandi leaders have asked Lands CS Karoney to relocate the affected residents.
- Residents say area suffers landslide every ten years or so.
More than 300 families have been displaced in Nandi following a landslide.
When the Nation team visited parts of Tinderet on Friday, we met several children and women camping at the Cherondo Primary School. Some of the children were sleeping in the classrooms.
Apart from Cherondo village, other areas affected include Kapchanga in the neighbouring Nandi Hills constituency.
Sharon Kogo recounted how the horrifying incident happened over the last weekend following heavy downpour pounding the region.
“It was around 6.30pm, I was in my house then suddenly we heard a strange sound. When we rushed out to check what was happening, I saw a huge stone few metres from the house,” she said.
SCHOOLS
Mrs Kogo said that they were lucky no one was hurt during the incident and appealed for well-wishers to support them.
She said that several schools in the area were affected.
“We are not sure if our children will report back to school when the second term starts on Monday since most families have been displaced.
“We want to appeal to the government to assist us to get another land since we are not ready to go back there,” she added.
RELOCATION
Mr Wilson Karoney, another resident, said that the area is prone to landslides and appealed to the government to look for alternative land to relocate them.
“Though Red Cross team supported the rescue efforts, we have lost everything since the landslide covered maize and coffee plantations. We have also lost livestock,” said the resident.
Mr Karoney said that although the landslides occurred after every 10 years, the recent incident was much worse.
On Friday, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei and county governor, Stephen Sang, donated medical supplies, foodstuff and clothes to the affected families.
Senator Cherargei asked the Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney to find a lasting solution to the land problem in the county.
“There are still huge public and private lands…Let’s look for those absentee landlords and allocate some part of land to these affected families.
“It is important to relocate the residents to the safer grounds through the land transfer exchange even if it is the Agricultural Development Corporation land and convert the affected area into forest,” he said.
